How do I get started smoking a pipe?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Okay, I have never smoked…anything. At all. Not counting all the second-hand smoke I got as a child, cigarettes and joints. But I LOVE, love the smell of pipe tobacco and think it would be nice to smoke a pipe while relaxing by the lake every now and then. I have no idea how to get started though. What kind of pipe do I get? I need something fairly cheap but easy to use. What tobacco is good for a newbie? How do I pack it, light it? I am very ignorant and appreciative of any suggestions. Yes, I am a woman and reluctant to go into a store without knowing at least something. I don’t have a lot of patience for people thinking I’m “cute.”

My brother-in-law and a some friends smoke some kind of small cigars that smell like pipe tobacco. I might try a couple of those before spending money on a pipe. I think I’d rather chew on a pipe than a cigar though.

2

second hand smoke from a pipe, which in small amounts can be pleasant to some, and first hand smoke from a pipe can be very different.

first hand smoke can be warm and drying, strong and less flavorful.

i’m not saying don’t try it just that it will be different. you could burn tobacco as if it was incense.

3

Borkum Riff is a nice, mild tobacco.

4

I’ve never been a pipe smoker. But one thing I’ve heard is that old pipes are considered better than new pipes. Apparently there’s a break in period.

5

Since the OP is looking for advice, let’s move this to IMHO.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

6

Don’t inhale. Suck it in like you do with a straw. It’s not cigarette tobacco. At least you will be at a lower risk for lung cancer than cigarettes though cancer of the mouth, tongue and esophagus are possibilities. A tobacco shop will probably be able to set you up with a tobacco that’s good for a beginner.

You will find that your pipe goes out a lot and needs constant tending. That’s part of its charm.

7

Female OP wants to smoke a pipe, and carefully advises us she doesn’t mean to look “cute”.

I’m thinking of Mammy Yokum.

8

Pipes need to be packed with tobacco just right. You don’t want to pack it too tight, and you don’t want to pack it too loose. When you get it just right, the pipe draws well, and stays lit. It’s definitely trial and error.

Briar pipes are best. You can pay big money for very nice pipes with great wood grain and no flaws, or get an inexpensive pipe that has a plain grain and a few flaws. These flaws will be cosmetic and don’t really detract from enjoying a smoke. Whether you get a straight stem or a bent stem is entirely up to you, it’s a style choice.

Some say that a pipe needs to rest between smokes, at least long enough to cool down. A pipe won’t get too hot from one smoke, but if you smoke it a few times in one sitting it will get hot. If you want to do this, get a couple of pipes so you can switch between them. I do this.

When you select a pipe, make sure that the stem fits securely to the bowl, especially if you are getting a cheaper pipe. A loose fit is a bit annoying.

As for tobacco, a pipe shop will have several different types, some blends have a nice aroma while others blends are less aromatic but have a specific taste. You can buy it by the ounce, and you may be able to get a mix of small samples to try out. An ounce of pipe tobacco is a fairly good amount, especially for a beginner.

Finally, get pipe cleaners and clean out the bowl and stem after every smoke. It makes a big difference, a clean dry pipe smokes much better than a dirty pipe.

9

I thought you let a pipe rest in order for it to dry out. You’re breathing through it and the moisture from your breath gets in the stem.

10

The least expensive one you can get is a corncob. Surprisingly, they are very good, but don’t last as long as a briar.

If they were good enough for Gen MacArthur, they should be good enough for you.

11

I can’t stand cigarettes, and think cigar smokers should be drowned, but I always loved my grandfather’s pipes. He had many, and I would get him one for Christmas or birthdays now and then.

Like any smoker, he had a favorite tobacco, but he would indulge his grandson when I got him cherry or apple flavored samples.

I would get him fancy Meerschaumand briar pipes, but he liked his simple, non-fancy types.

There’s a tobacco distribution warehouse near me, and everytime I pass it, the smells immediately put me back to being 10 years old, sitting in a boat with him, fishing and listening to his stories.

Anyway, here’s hoping you look better than Mammy Yokum as you learn the ropes.

12

As a child who grew up in smoking home I think this plan of your is an extraordinarily bad idea. While safer than cigarette smoking pipe smoking has a number of documented health dangers, and to start becoming a human incense burner because of the memory of a nice smell is (IMO) an astoundingly foolish thing to do.

13

You could try ordering an e-cig kit and some flavored fluid called “Legend.” It used to be called “Gandalf.” It reminds me of Grandpa’s pipe. Less fuss, and maybe healthier.

14

I tried and failed. I still keep a pipe by my computer and fire it up in place of cigerettes but I just can’t make the change. I have been playing with it for over a year now.

15

I loathe cigarettes, but have been known to have a cigar or two around a campfire. But my go-to pipe in the field is an Israeli briar that I’ve had for over 35 years. Nicely broken in for a pipe that gets smoked maybe twice a year.

Go to your local tobacconist and get samples before you commit to a blend.

16

I don’t smoke anything anymore (had to stop if I was going to quit cigarettes. I don’t regret the choice but I don’t begrudge you wanting to try), but I think I wrote up a couple of posts that cover this exact topic back when I was a pipe smoker.

Let me touch on some things mentioned in this thread before I go off searching for them:

Smoking tobacco is, frequently, very different than smelling it. This is very true. It also takes a bit of practice to pack and smoke a pipe in such a way that it isn’t a hot and bitter tongue burning experience. But, it’s not that hard to learn.

Borkram Riff has a very very distinctive flavor/scent that a lot of people do not like and if you are one of those people it will ruin your pipe. It has a strong tendency to “ghost” pipes, which is not a bad thing if you have a rotation of pipes and dedicate one pipe to a particular tobacco, but if you are only going to have one or two pipes is something that should be avoided.

Eventually old or estate pipes are something you might want to look into, but they have their own issues. For now get something new and deal with breaking it in. The break in period has more to do with making the pipe smoke cooler so that you don’t actually burn a hole in it than anything anyway, and less to do with the smoking experience.

Do rest your pipes if they are briar. This has less to do with getting them too hot and more to do with making sure the wood dries completely. If they are clay or corncob this is not an issue. Smoke those all day long every day (corncobs need a bit of drying time in theory, but are really forgiving.)

Which brings me to my suggestion for a first pipe. A Missouri Meerschaum company corncob. Only buy MM cobs, since most others are pretty crap, but MM makes fantastic pipes. Just remember that all the advice for briar pipes doesn’t work for cobs. You want to treat them like clay or meerschaum and keep them very very clean with no cake (we can talk about cake later.)

Do get pipe cleaners and a pipe tool, both are essential. Also get yourself some wood match sticks, mostly because they make lighting the pipe easier than lighters (which can be tricky to light a pipe with and not burn yourself.)

Flavored tobaccos are popular because they smell great, but tend to bite (burn your tongue). That said, there are some great “drugstore” tobaccos that have that nostalgic smell and don’t bite so much. Carter Hallwould be my top recommendation. Prince Albert is pretty good too, as is Half and Half. Stay away from Capt. Black and anything cherry flavored, at least for now.

More later after I do some searching.

ETA: oh and, pipes are fussy, but that’s part of the point. They take care and patience to learn how to use. You have to fiddle with them to keep them lit, and even then they go out and you will have to relight. That’s ok, that’s the point. It’s not about the quick nic hit like a cigarette, it’s about spending an hour or so doing something active that is also relaxing. As a hobby it’s sort of like knitting mixed with espresso drinking.

Also it’s easy to do cheaply, but it can become a very spendy habit. I gave away my tobaccos when I quit smoking, but I still have all 40 or so of my pipes.

17

Some threads on a variety of topics about pipe tobacco:

This is probably more info than the OP needs right now, but it might make a good reference later. Between the three threads there is a crap ton of info including links to outside resources so that you can learn more on your own. The second link down has my big post on how to get started pipe smoking including how to pack and light a pipe for the first time.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=504034&highlight=pipe

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=542300&highlight=pipe

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=514264&highlight=pipe

HA, and I seem to contradict myself in some of my old posts. Trust what I said back then more than what I say now.

18

Why not just get a passive burner (like an incense burner of some sort) if you want to enjoy the smell. Pipes are a pain in the ass: cleaning, keeping them lit, cleaning, cleaning, tamping, lighting again and again. And when you make the mistake of tipping the end of the pipe up and you get a mouthful of that undiluted tar nastiness, it will make you wish you’d never lit up. Honestly, save yourself the bad breath, yellow teeth, premature wrinkling of your skin, and oral cancer, and just throw some into the campfire or something.

19

Join this board. I’m there with the same username. There’s some sticky threads that will give you all the advice you need.

20

I agree that finding a good community of pipe smokers is important. I will throw out smokersforums.co.uk as the place that I used to hang out. I don’t know how the community is doing anymore, but it used to be the finest collection of pipe smokers on the net. Unfortunately they have a culture where they don’t keep old posts, so a lot of that wisdom is lost to the ages. Still, if the same people are still posting it’s a worthwhile place to visit.